TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2022)
“But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.
Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:18-23 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 292ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
May the mercies of the LORD be upon us today! May His peace speak in our lives!
May we not miss the benefit that Heaven has prepared for us this day.
How great is His goodness which He has stored up for those who fear Him! May that goodness locate us wherever we turn, in Jesus precious name.
We have been a 31-Day journey of Truth with the Cry of the Holy Spirit on the Blessed Holy Spirit Himself and it has been a blessing. We have seen that one of the ultimate purposes of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to set us in order. It is to remove chaos from us and set our lives in divine order. That is why as soon as He comes in a formless and void life, the life will become beautiful.
He manifests as the Spirit of Truth because it takes truth to set lives in order. But today we want to look at a major part of our lives that the Holy Spirit is sent to work on in other to put our lives in order. That part is the heart.
Our devotional text says;
“But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.
Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:18-23 AMPC
For us, the saved and sanctified, God destined our lives to go from glory to glory; from success to success. Not from oppression to oppression, or spiritual attacks to spiritual attacks.
HE NEVER DESIGNED THAT OUR WAYS BE LIKE DEEP DARKNESS, WHERE WE ARE OPPRESSED EVERY NOW AND THEN.
He designed that our paths be like the light of the dawn, that shines more and more brighter and clear until it reaches its full strength in glory. That means He designed that the longer we live the more glorious our lives become. And that holds alot of truth for us.
You see, time have been God’s redemption instrument for ages.
In GOD’s design, time is to help us become brighter and brighter in life, until our lives become a full reflection of His glory. That was why Moses at 120, his eyes did not grow deem. Caleb at 80 said his strength, 40 years later, was as fresh as it was 40 years ago.
We do not belong to a breed that time should diminished. We belong to a breed that by destiny should be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful.
A breed that gallops through time, from age to age, majestically, stable, durable, and incorruptible. Yes, we are a breed that is designed to still bring forth fruit in old age, full of the sap of spiritual vitality, and rich in Christ. Anything outside that is not God’s will for our lives.
The Bible says;
“The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].
Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].” Psalm 92:12-14 AMPC
This scripture contains the reality of the things GOD designed that we experience in life. It contains the revelation of what time has been instructed to accomplish in our lives as we move from age to age. But none of them will ever happen in our lives if the Holy Spirit do not dwell in us to do His redemptive work on daily bases.
DO NOT FORGET THE CONTENT OF OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT.
A major verse in the text says, “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:18-23 AMPC). The best way to guard our hearts is to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in them, permanently and make them His operational home.
In fact, God already made us His temple by the purchasing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. So, it is against the laws of GOD not to allow the Holy Spirit into our hearts to dwell there. That is where His ultimate work is carried out to put our lives in divine order.
Whenever He meets us, He will not demand for your monies; tithes, seeds, sacrifices, and etc., only a greedy preacher will do that. Whenever He meets us, He will demand for our heart so that He can work on it.
He said in His word,
“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:27 NKJV).
Your spiritual father will say, “my son, give me your tithes” But the Holy Spirit will say “My Son, give me your heart.” That is why those who walk with the Spirit end up having a better heart than those who walk with their so-called spiritual fathers.
Spiritual fathering these days have become a plague but it ought to be a system for maintaining intimacy with the Heavenly Father, through His Holy Spirit given to us!
So, to set our lives in divine order, the main focus of the Holy Spirit will be our hearts not our pockets. God will focus on our hearts because out of it are the issues of life.
Now, there are several things the Holy Spirit will do in our hearts in order to set us in order for God to bless our lives. One of it is to guard our hearts with perfect peace especially when we are in trouble, or when we are troubled. I experience that whenever trouble comes my way. Yesterday was one of those days.
You see, today would have been a different day in my life if He had not guarded my heart yesterday when the enemy came knocking at my door.
I FINISHED PREACHING, AND WAS IN NEED OF REST.
I got home hoping to find it, only for me to get crisis. It was very troubling but I did not know how a calmness entered my heart and I just navigated through the trouble waters. Today, I woke up asking myself how I was able to pass through such provocations that were calling for crazy actions to be taken.
Thank God, the LORD had spoken some truths on how the flesh destroys His plans, into pur hearts in the meeting we were coming from. Indeed, the flesh would have destroyed His glorious plans, or begin a process that would have destroyed them, but the Holy Spirit guarded my heart with peace, and restrained me.
He then led and gave me the strength to do what needed to be done.
Friend, I shared that to tell you that without the Holy Spirit guarding our hearts, men will drive us crazy and make us do things that will destroy God’s plans for our lives. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit; legal Temples by reason of the purchasing power of the blood of Jesus. We should allow Him live in our hearts and do what He was sent to do in our lives.
We will pick up from here tomorrow.
Meanwhile, meditate on what we have seen today and let God perfect his plan for your life.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!
Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is [a]coming soon].
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 AMPC